Apple M3 Pro 12-Core vs i9-7920X
Aggregate performance score
M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms Core i9-7920X by a minimal 2% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 651 | 632 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.30 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | Apple M3 |
| Power efficiency | 4.05 | 21.46 |
| Designer | Intel | Apple |
| Manufacturer | Intel | no data |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2018) | no data |
| Release date | 10 September 2017 (8 years ago) | 30 October 2023 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,199 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Detailed specifications
Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 24 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.9 GHz | 2.748 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.4 GHz | 4.06 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | no data |
| L3 cache | 16.5 MB (shared) | no data |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | 484 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 95 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 37000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 (Uniprocessor) | no data |
| Socket | FCLGA2066 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 27 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2666 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 85.33 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7920X and M3 Pro 12-Core.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 44 | no data |
Synthetic benchmarks
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 13.41 | 13.72 |
| Recency | 10 September 2017 | 30 October 2023 |
| Threads | 24 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 3 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 27 Watt |
i9-7920X has 100% more threads.
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core, on the other hand, has a 2.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, a 366.7% more advanced lithography process, and 418.5% lower power consumption.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Intel Core i9-7920X and Apple M3 Pro 12-Core.
Note that Core i9-7920X is a desktop processor while Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
